Focal Point
SFG Fazer
Jim Carter (407 Kingston Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15235; E-mail: [email protected]) and his wife, Betsy, display the Sig Fazer he built from a kit and modified for today’s 3-D performance levels.
He slightly enlarged all movable control-surface chords and added bolt-on Side Force Generators on the wingtips to enhance rudder authority. The model incorporates dual fuel tanks—2 ounces and 6 ounces—with the smaller tank located behind the engine to provide more consistent fuel flow.
The 48-inch-span Fazer is powered by a GMS .47 engine turning an APC 12 x 4 propeller. The Hitec computer radio system uses five ball-bearing servos and provides flaperon control. Covering is orange UltraCote with fluorescent yellow trim and gold-and-dark-blue kit decals.
Klassy Ercoupe
Terry M. Jorgensen (2450 Mercedes Ave., Highland, CA 92346; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Ercoupe from a 1/3-scale Balsa USA kit.
It weighs 34 pounds and spans 120 inches. A Saito 300 twin four-stroke engine provides the power. Terry painted the Ercoupe with Klass Kote epoxy.
The radio equipment is JR and the onboard glow driver is by Nelson Hobby. The parts for the landing gear were included in the kit but needed to be built. All radio gear and electronics are installed beneath the pilot seat.
Nobler Then and Now
Jim Dumke (4200 N. River Bay Rd., Waterford, WI 53185; E-mail: [email protected]) built his RC Nobler from a Top Flite kit. His other Nobler is from a control-line kit his wife gave him for Christmas 35 years ago.
The CL Nobler was powered by a McCoy .35 engine and flew great. The RC version is powered by an O.S. .52 Surpass four-stroke. It employs six JR Sport ST47BB servos and a JR R770 receiver, and it is controlled by a JR XP8103 radio.
Jim built the RC Nobler with fixed gear, but it does have operational flaps. Jim’s son, Jason, applied the MonoKote covering.
“The Nobler RC airplane has eight flights on it and is a lot of fun,” wrote Jim.
Noorduyn Norseman
Jim Otter (10037 SE Eastview Dr., Portland, OR 97086; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Noorduyn Norseman from a Unionville kit, available through Scale R/C Models.
The model spans 85.5 inches and weighs 12 pounds on floats. A Saito 100 four-stroke engine turns an APC 15 x 6 propeller, providing plenty of power for use with the floats. The airplane can be converted to wheels in roughly a half hour.
The floats are part of the Unionville kit, but the mounting system was modified to be as scale as possible. Jim used scale steering cables equipped with Ernst water rudders.
As does the full-scale airplane, the model has flaps and flaperons. Guidance is provided by JR radio gear with seven servos.
Covering is SolarTex, and the finish is Behr premium latex house paint with Minwax polyurethane semigloss clearcoat. The markings are custom decals.
“It flies like a dream and taxis very well,” wrote Jim. “This large model is impressive in the air and on the ground.”
Great Lakes Special
David Shallenberg (4102 Mockingbird Ln., Rogers, AR 72756; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Great Lakes Special from Gordon Whitehead plans. David diverged from the plans by making his own cowl from balsa and plywood instead of ordering one made from fiberglass. The cowl was split to allow removal without taking off the muffler and needle valve.
A SuperTigre .51 engine and Futaba radio power the model. Covering is UltraCote—white on top with a red-and-white checkerboard pattern on the bottom. All trim is UltraCote paint. David made the decals using scans of the full-scale graphics from documentation he purchased from Bob’s Aircraft Documentation.
“The airplane represents a lot of work but has been very rewarding,” wrote David. “I love to build as much as I love to fly.”
Show-Winning P-40E
R. Lynn Hendry ([email protected]) built his P-40E from a Hangar 9 ARF kit.
The P-40 was one of World War II’s most popular U.S. fighters. It was the last of Curtiss Aircraft’s famous “hawk” line that originated in the 1930s and was eventually morphed into the P-40E.
This 65-inch-wingspan model is equipped with a Saito 100 four-stroke engine and controlled by an Airtronics RD6000 radio. The model came equipped with retractable landing gear, and its all-wood construction is completely covered with UltraCote; even the graphics are UltraCote.
Lynn’s P-40E placed first at the Spokane, Washington, model show and swap meet in January 2006.
Extra-Special 300L
Fred Rella built this Extra 300L from a discontinued Great Planes kit and presented it to Bob Weideman (8803 W. Port Au Prince, Peoria, AZ 85381; E-mail: [email protected]) the first week of August 2007.
Bob installed a Hitec receiver and servos, and he chose a Hitec Eclipse 7 radio for control. The engine is an O.S. .46 FX.
The 58-inch-wingspan Extra is covered with MonoKote and finished at a weight of 5.8 pounds.
“The test flight was almost perfect,” wrote Bob. “Fred did a beautiful job of building and covering. Thank you, Fred.”
PT-Trainermaster
Marty Churilla (140 Scenery Rd., Wheeling, WV 26003; E-mail: [email protected]) built his Trainermaster from a discontinued kit purchased from Eagle Hobby Shop in Suffolk, Virginia.
The model spans 53.5 inches and weighs 4.5 pounds. It is powered by an O.S. .46 FX engine and guided by a Futaba T6AX radio system.
“I wanted the plane to have a more ‘modern’ trainer finish,” wrote Marty. “I selected a U.S. Navy trainer paint scheme.”
Marty covered his airplane with a combination of MonoKote, Sig stars from the ready-made decal sheet, automotive lacquer, MonoKote trim sheets, and Chartpak 1/32-inch graphic tape to customize the remaining graphics.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
